Graduate Studies at Montreal’s Concordia University despite a Policy Rollercoaster
In late April 2025, the Quebec Superior Court ruled against key elements of the provincial government’s 2023 tuition policy changes affecting out-of-province students at English-language universities. The court invalidated the government’s decision to increase tuition fees for Canadian students from outside Quebec. The current fee structure will remain temporarily in place, as the government has been granted nine months to revise its regulations.
As you may recall, in 2023 the Quebec provincial government introduced a controversial policy significantly raising tuition fees for Canadian students from other provinces studying at English-language universities. McGill and Concordia warned that the new structure would deter thousands of prospective students and lead to a sharp decline in applications. In response, both universities implemented out-of-province awards for eligible undergraduate applicants, as well as targeted support for graduate students from outside Quebec, especially since some graduate programs were selectively impacted. While there are fewer than 20 days left for the government to appeal the court’s decision as I’m writing this, it is likely that this is not the last we’ve heard of this policy.
In February of this year, for the first time in a while, our graduate program at Concordia University had more scholarships available for Canadian graduate students than applicants. It is believed that the main contributing factor is precisely the tuition hike for out-of-province students, which was still under legal challenge at the time most applications were due. Many prospective applicants likely saw headlines or social media commentary and assumed the increased costs applied universally. Few took the time to differentiate between degree levels or program types. It is worth emphasizing that this tuition increase did not apply to PhD students. Yet that nuance could have been easily lost in the public narrative.
However, this article is not intended to discuss particulars of the law or its effects for the Quebec socio-economic landscape. I want to focus instead on the graduate programs of my department at Concordia University and make the case for potential graduate students in mathematical sciences to choose it despite the tuition policy’s rollercoaster.
It occurred to me that we do not speak enough of the benefits of studying at Concordia. Our departmental research strengths in mathematical sciences include, but are not limited to, Number Theory, Geometric Analysis, Data Analysis, Financial Mathematics, and Statistics https://www.concordia.ca/artsci/math-stats/programs/graduate.html Our research strength also comes from the unique organization of faculty members in mathematical sciences, who are grouped by area rather than by affiliation with specific university departments. Whether in number theory, analysis, or statistics, weekly seminars and workshops are held citywide at each of the four universities.
In addition, Master’s and PhD students in mathematics benefit enormously from the Institut des sciences mathématiques (ISM), a consortium of seven Quebec universities. This inter-university structure gives students:
- Access, registration and credits for courses at multiple institutions (McGill and UQAM are 10 respectively 15 minutes’ walk away, and even Université de Montreal is not far away);
- An extended supervisor and mentoring network; co-supervision even among faculty members at different universities is very common.
- Advanced seminars and collaborative opportunities, 2-3 summer schools every year, see upcoming ones in Data Science (May 2025), and on Convex Geometry and Spectral analysis (August 2025): https://ism.uqam.ca/academics/#2;
- Travel funding opportunities to schools, conferences and workshops outside the province, and internationally, to students registered to any of the Quebec universities.
This is not just administrative convenience. It is a built-in research ecosystem.
Montreal is also home to the Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM), one of Canada’s flagship research institutes in the mathematical sciences. The CRM regularly hosts thematic programs, workshops, and visiting researchers from around the world, making it a hub of international activity. As a master’s or PhD student, that means opportunities to engage with cutting-edge research beyond the department, access to international conferences without needing to travel, and exposure to a diverse range of topics and scholars.
In addition to its academic and professional opportunities, Montreal offers a high quality of life at a relatively low cost. The cost of living is significantly lower than in cities like Toronto or Vancouver. Students benefit from subsidized public transportation and affordable housing. Did I mention that Montreal is consistently ranked as one of the best cities in the world for students? It offers a vibrant social life, a wealth of green spaces, and an unparalleled arts and festival scene. From the annual International Jazz Festival to the world-famous Just for Laughs comedy event, there is always something happening in the city.
Returning to academics, this Fall I was particularly impressed by a new program in which a few of my own graduate students are actively involved at Concordia University. Known as Directed REAding in Mathematics and Statistics (DREAMS), is a program run by graduate students to provide undergraduates with a friendly, welcoming environment to explore advanced topics in math and stats beyond the standard curriculum. It is a peer-supervision program where undergraduates are mentored by graduate students in a weekly format, ending up with the undergraduates presenting on the topic of their choice. It is a wonderful way to ease a graduate student into an academic career of supervising students.
In short, studying at Concordia is an opportunity for Master’s and PhD students to complete their degree in a city that actively supports intellectual life. Do not let temporary tuition policy noise dissuade you. The research opportunities are here. If you are considering a graduate degree in mathematical sciences, this is the good moment to come. If you’re a faculty member reading this, please consider sharing these opportunities with your undergraduate and master’s students. Even more, consider co-supervising a student with a colleague at Concordia. We already have successful recent examples of co-supervision between Concordia faculty and colleagues at the University of Toronto, among others.
